What You Get:
The Table of Contents

PART 1: THE HORIZON

Industry. Options. Possibilities. What you need to wonder about before you embark on the journey. An invocation to get you thinking logistically and lyrically, micro and macro, about what you’re creating and putting out into the world. And a beautiful reminder: No two authors are the same, no two books totally alike. Every proposal is its own work of art. Make this yours.
Includes:
* How to use this program (yep — even your plan needs a plan.)
* 7 good reasons for working with a literary agent.
* To publish or self-publish? That is THE question.
* How I Got My Agent by Marianne Elliott, author of Zen Under Fire.
More! More!
* The Nitty-Gritty of World-Changing Writing — an interview with Danielle LaPorte from Pace and Kyeli Smith’s 2010 World-Changing Writing Workshop.
* Enterprising Your Creativity — a video-interview with Danielle LaPorte + Jonathan Fields, author of Career Renegade and Uncertainty, and founder of TribalAuthor.com.
* How NOT to Write, Launch + Promote Your First Book — an interview with Pace and Kyeli Smith, authors of The Usual Error and co-founders of Connection-Revolution.com.

PART 2: THE PROPOSAL

The Proposal, The Pitch, The Plan, The Power. Sequential and step-by-step instructions (plus hot snapshots from actual proposals that sold) to break down the art of creating a winning book proposal into simple science and doable steps. From your query letter to your chapter summaries, from your author bio to your appendices, we take the mystery (and anxiety) out of each + every section.
Includes:
* The how-to’s of crafting a brilliant book proposal, with instructions + samples for the critical sections that agents + editors need to see: your query letter, cover page, hook page, table of contents, overview, author bio, chapter summaries, market, pr/media, delivery + format, competition, speaking + seminar outlines, spin-offs, appendices, legal low-downs, and more.
* A plug ‘n play book proposal outline for your non-fiction or fiction manuscript — otherwise known as, “the one-pager that could change your entire writing career.” This is IT. The meat, the heart, the very, very specific how-to. Originally created by Linda Sivertsen, a book proposal whisperer and writing coach whose clients fork over $15K to $25K per proposal, land mega-star book deals, and have appeared on Oprah, The Today show, Good Morning America, ABC News, and in The New York Times.
* Q+A tipsheets to drill into your deepest, darkest, most gut-twisty questions.
Like, “Can I submit my proposal to more than one agent?” “Why isn’t anyone responding to my queries?” “How can I gain credibility when my track-record is less-than-amazing?” and “Will anyone give me a book deal, if I don’t have a built-in audience?”
* Winning book proposal samples from 20+ books, including Danielle’s full proposal for The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide To Defining Success On Your Own Terms — an idea that led to $500k of digital and print publishing happiness, This I Know: Notes On Unraveling The Heart by Susannah Conway, The Education of Millionaires: It’s Not What You Think and It’s Not Too Late by Michael Ellsberg, Danielle’s Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design, Linda’s proposal for Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide for Living An Eco-Friendly Life, the award-winning book she co-authored with her teenage son, End Malaria by Michael Bungay Stanier with Seth Godin, The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Tim Ferriss, and forthcoming titles from Chris Guillebeau, Chrisanna Northrup, Gabrielle Bernstein, Sarah Salway and Marianne Elliott.
More! More!
* The Write Hot Truth Telejam — an hour of strategic Q+A with Danielle LaPorte on publishing, the writing craft, and getting your word into the world.
* Why Some Proposals Get Canned (And How To Avoid The Chopping Block) — an interview with Linda Sivertsen + Betsy Rapoport, former executive editor (and chopping block axe-wielder) at Random House and Scribners.
* Obstacles, Schmobstacles: Or, How To Write Your Book Already — an interview with Tiphani Montgomery, seven-time Essence magazine bestselling author.

PART 3: CREATIVITY

You’re a writer. And that’s that. Declare it.
Your book has already been written — it’s hidden in plain sight, in your client session audio files, blog interviews, scandalous email chains, coffee shop convos, that one post that went viral, your teenage journal, your vision boards, your workshop materials. Learn how to capture + curate what you’re already doing, thinking, saying + creating. Trust that you’ll know which stories to put out there. And know that there’s always more where that came from.
Includes:
* Pornography for a writer — a poem. (You’ll love it.)
* How to get a writing buddy. And get perspective.
* 10 (sexy + thrilling) ways to finish the damn book.
* Why envy is a signal — and how to follow it, home.
* Why it’s never too late to get published (and some pointers on rolling with rejection like a pro.)
More! More!
* The Power of Weaving A New Story — an interview with Linda Sivertsen from the Women On The Edge of Evolution teleseminar series.
* The Story Is Smarter Than You Are — an interview with prize-winning fiction writer Sarah Selecky.

PART 4: VISIBILITY

You and your book, out in the world.
Call it what you will (exposure, traction, traffic, attention, validation, fame, the sacred YES we wish for, and warrant) and measure it however you like (pageviews, downloads, adoring eyeballs, crescendos of comments, fan mail, love letters, media ops, onscreen time, on-air spots, bestseller nods, bookmarks, re-tweets, StumbleUpons, Likes or shares)…it’s all about VISIBILITY. Learn how to build your platform as you build your book, by getting obsessed with your message (in a good way), pairing your online efforts with old-fashioned offline promotion, and cross-pollinating your audiences, for super-sweet visibility honey (you’re not as niche as you think.)
Includes:
* Techno-phobic? Get over it.
* OFFline visibility. Yep, it (still) exists.
* Why you always have time to promote your fine work.
* The difference between your “message” and your “topics” — and why “genuine obsession” equals “irresistible writing.”
* The top 10 most useful articles on traffic, audience-building and visibility for writers.
More! More!
* The Super Listorama Of Content Love + Cash — a meaty self-promotional pow-wow from THE SPARK KIT by Danielle LaPorte.

PART 5: THE WORKBOOK

Blood, sweat, and cheers — from the people who’re rooting for your book to arrive. Guided exercises to put your new book-building knowledge into action, help you define the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the life of your book (hint: both might be wildly cool)… and get you over that glorious finish line, so you can update your biz card to “Published Author.” At last.
Includes:
* Hooking, pitching + mobilizing your allies.
* Your “apocalypse is nigh!” cocktail line.
* Spilling your qualifications + street cred.
* Your epic hotness, as relayed by a friend.
* Who’s buying, babe? Your market, defined.
* Spreading the Gospel: PR + media.
* Ruling (out) your competitors.
* Inspiration, perspiration + advanced creative hermitude (or: how to propel yourself over the final draft finish line, come hell or high water.)
More! More!
* Includes aCreative Hermit Auto-responder that you can copy + paste straight into your “vacation reply” box, graciously deflecting unwanted inbox visitors while you hunker down + heroically finish your book.

PART 6: THE AUDIO COLLECTION

Over 8 hours of audio, including interviews with a dozen authors who have mastered their craft, carved their own paths, topped bestseller lists, defied traditional publishing logic, and released highly informative, heart-stirring, entertaining + evocative titles into the world. Meet your new role models. They’re delighted to teach you.
Includes:
: Part 1 + Part 2 of Your Big Beautiful Plan, as read by Danielle + Linda. Turn up your speakers.
* An easy-to-download round-up of all the audio in the program, featuring interviews + fireside chats with…
: Award-winning short fiction writer Sarah Selecky.
: One-woman publishing empire Lou Paget.
: Serial entrepreneur + self-publishing renegade Jonathan Fields.
: Internationally bestselling author + publicity mastermind Arielle Ford.
: Seven-time Essence magazine bestselling author Tiphani Montgomery.
: World-Changing Writing Workshop founders Pace + Kyeli Smith.
: Former Scribners + Random House executive editor Betsy Rapoport.
Listen to some short clips from a sampling of some of the program audios

Why Some Proposals Get Canned — And How to Avoid The Chopping Block
An interview with Linda Sivertsen & Elizabeth Rapoport, former executive editor (and chopping block axe-wielder) at Random House and Scribners.
Play Audio

The Story is Smarter Than You Are
An interview with Alexandra Franzen and Sarah Selecky. How this first-time author parlayed her personal adventures into a short story collection, gracefully contended with critical reviews, and landed on the short-list for five of Canada’s most prestigious literary awards.
Play Audio

Danielle + Jonathan Fields Audio Only
Enterprising Your Creativity – An interview with Danielle LaPorte + Jonathan Fields, author of Career Renegade and Uncertainty, and founder of TribalAuthor.com (password: YBBBP)
Play Audio

More! More!
* An audio companion to YOUR BIG BEAUTIFUL BOOK PLAN, as read by Danielle LaPorte + Linda Sivertsen. Throw it on your iPod, kick back, and cruise. (It’s gorgeous.)
* Oh baby — we’ve got complete transcriptions of all the interviews. Print, bind, highlight, mindmap, go nuts with it.

PART 7: RESOURCES

Resources to revel in, as you rev up your writing career. Copywriters, ghostwriters, copyeditors, lay-out designers, cover designers, tools for self-publishing (digital + print), courses to take, retreats to embark on, books to read, blogs to bookmark, and more. Chosen with deep love + discernment.
Includes:
* Workshops, classes + retreats: online + offline.
* Articles, tools and thought-leaders to watch, for savvy self-publishers.
* Our most-cherished, must-read books, for all kinds of writers.
* Your Book-Creation Dream-Team (because it takes a village and a half. Trust us.)
* The authors + books profiled in this program (web-stalk away… )

PART 8: OUTRO

A whirl of gratitude. A word on philanthropy (we ? Write Girl!). The who’s who of Team Beautiful.

Fine Print. Logic. Love.